organicgreendoctor: why dont the rich pay more taxes

organicgreendoctor: why dont the rich pay more taxes: WHY DONT THE RICH PAY MORE TAXES i was intrigued by this after listening to a podcast by kim komando the computer person talking about this...

why dont the rich pay more taxes

WHY DONT THE RICH PAY MORE TAXES

i was intrigued by this after listening to a podcast by kim komando the computer person talking about this topic linked here with an accountant
they also discuss this propublica article on the topic

the bottom line
most of us pay our income taxes based on a paycheck we get 
most of the wealthy folks get their income from investment income that is taxed at a much lower rate than your income tax rate
many of these real rich folks like bezos and musk and buffett dont have any income to tax except for their investment income
their wealth is also tied up and not taxed

yes they pay all these other taxes
but
so do we like state and local taxes gas tax social security tax federal taxes car taxes property taxes etc

they just dont have much taxable money to pay taxes on 

remember trump one year paid around $700+ in taxes
he probably wont pay any taxes for awhile since many of his businesses are loosing money now

in my career i have paid from 0% to an almost 40% tax rate

the 100 most wealthy americans average tax rate is 16%

another reason the richest dont pay more taxes
well
they have the influence thats needed to have the tax laws bent their way
the tax breaks favor them over the regular folks

the one that stands out is the corporate tax rate that was lowered significantly 
it needs to be raised back up some to maybe 25%

the irs needs to collect the money thats owned them
why havent they been doing that anyway huh

now i have used some of these tax saving techniques over the years
once i got back all the taxes i had paid for several years
it didnt seem right but it was legal so my accountant did it

i never mind paying my taxes as long as they are fair

i almost felt guilty doing those tax breaks
we need to get rid of some of those laws that let the more wealthy folks get the tax advantage
but
you have to do it in a way to not subdue economic growth

i dont have a solution

just like many of you
it doesnt feel right that they dont pay more taxes
and
many of you have to pay a much higher rate

its just not right
it should be fixed

it doesnt pass the smell test
it smells bad

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-we arent there yet are we and myocarditis...

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-we arent there yet are we and myocarditis...: COVID 19-WE ARENT THERE YET ARE WE AND MYOCARDITIS IN YOUNG FOLKS here is some information on myocarditis after the covid vaccines in young ...

covid 19-we arent there yet are we and myocarditis in young folks

COVID 19-WE ARENT THERE YET ARE WE AND MYOCARDITIS IN YOUNG FOLKS

here is some information on myocarditis after the covid vaccines in young folks

the incidence of myocarditis which happens all the time is about 1.95 cases per 100,00 in this age group
in about 1 million young folks you would expect to see in a years time 20 cases of myocarditis

from a study on big 10 athletes who got covid infection the incidence is about 2.3% in looking at about 1,000 student athletes
that would be about 23,000 cases per 1 million infections if extrapolated to that many infected young folks

after getting a covid vaccination there appears to be in 1 million cases of vaccinations in the 12-17 year old age group about 35 cases of myocarditis per million and in 16-39 year old the rate is about 16 cases
here is an american academy of pediatrics article

naturally each year it happens from viral infections
i saw few cases in my career
luckily they all resolved

in the big 10 study there was a high incidence of myocarditis in those athletes who got infected
a real high incidence
thats why many college and professional athletes infected now have to have a heart evaluation before they can be released to play sports again
eg
chris paul the state farm guy who plays for the phoenix suns had to sit out part of the nba playoffs until he could be cleared by the heart protocol for myocarditis

this study implies to me that getting covid for a young athlete is way more risky in developing myocarditis than getting the covid vaccine
a lot lot more risky

if you are vaccinated for covid 19 you have a miniscule chance of getting a covid 19 infection that will make you sick
pretty close to zero

now
if you are immunosuppressed and you have been vaccinated you need to be real careful
eg
if you are on immunosuppressive drugs for connective tissue diseases like rheumatoid arthritis lupus ulcerative colitis etc your vaccine may not be as effective as those who are not immunosuppressed

if you have a transplant the vaccine will not be as effective
one transplant doctor who also is a transplant patient is giving his patients a third booster shot of the covid vaccine which seems to give his patients some antibody protection 
 
here is an article from webmd on the third vaccine booster

if you are unvaccinated you are at risk of getting covid 19
its not going away 
soon most of the us infections will be the delta variant which is more aggressive

eg
the original one if you got it would allow you to infect 3 people
the delta variant if you got it would allow you to infect 10+ people

its the one thats causing the increase infections in the world now
its the one involved in the uptick in missouri arkansas and other southern states

it will take off this summer and fall 
how bad will be determined by how many folks get vaccinated and how many get infected
and how many have immunity 

remember in some states 70% of the people you encounter are not vaccinated
here its around 50%

we are still loosing 300 folks a day to covid 19
99.8% were unvaccinated

if you are vaccinated you are safe
if you are unvaccinated you are not safe
if you are immunocompromised you may be safe

solution
get vaccinated then dont worry
if you are at risk wear your mask around others in high risk situations
remember most folks you encounter are not vaccinated
if you get infected it will usually be from family or frieinds

since i am vaccinated
i dont really need to wear a mask
i wear one when its required
i wear one if the people i am around are uncomfortable around people unmasked
i wear one if i am around anyone sick with an upper respiratory illness
why
we will see an uptick of these upper respiratory symptoms this fall and winter
us older folks will get sick from them usually caught from grandkids or other kiddos
you will see me with a mask if i am in those situations

it seems that the risk of getting myocarditis after you get a covid 19 infection is so much greater than the risk of getting myocarditis from the covid vaccine
but
like everything else when it comes to our health 
we make our own decisions about it

just try to make them based on the facts

the answer to the question in my blog title
no we arent there yet
it may be awhile before we get there

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-their garden journey

organicgreendoctor: garden news-their garden journey: GARDEN NEWS-THEIR GARDEN JOURNEY we try to get mr hudson and ms b to come to the garden at least once a week they spend about an hour there ...

garden news-their garden journey

GARDEN NEWS-THEIR GARDEN JOURNEY

we try to get mr hudson and ms b to come to the garden at least once a week
they spend about an hour there exploring things

they have developed a love for the garden over the last few months

as they drive up to the garden there is a large field in front
today they just cleared the  field and tilled it well and raked it down 
this week we will place the drip system then we will plant pumpkins and winter squash
usually in the fall we have groups of elementary kids come through for educational tours
this pumpkin patch is always enjoyed by these kids

today mr hudson just looks for piles of dirt and clods of dirt to walk on

they commonly then wander around the vegetable plants on our picnic tables that are part of the serve yourself sale

sometimes they like to go to the greenhouse to see the baby vegetables

usually their priority is to see the chickens and feed them bread and vegetables from the garden
the chickens love bread
they love sour grass or oxacillis with its yellow flowers
they love swiss chard
if these arent available they will eat other vegetables like kale tomatoes etc
they love watermelon


from the chickens they go to my garden shown above in this panoramic view
they are looking for things to pick and eat

one thing they found was this large squash shown above hiding under the squash leaves by
ms b and mr hudson
it is now part of a pot of soup and most of a squash casserole

my garden plot is actually two plots together
it is 20 ft x 20 ft
i have 8 3 ftx 8 ft beds
i have 1 1ft x 20 ft bed
that long bed has a fence along it to the left above
i run vining plants along this fence
presently growing there  are malabar spinach butternut squash french filet green beans and christmas lima beans

i have an 18 inch walkway between the beds

i have bell pepper banana pepper tam mild jalapeno pepper eggplant 6 tomatoes zucchini squash tatume vining squash arugula swiss chard basil walking stick kale lettuce curly leaf kale growing in the beds


on this day we found some sweet peas still growing
mr hudson harvested them and we all sat down on a bench under the big ole live oak and peeled and ate those sweet peas

then they went to the kids garden
i fill up a big ole tub with water
they place water cans in the water then water all the plants in the kids garden
they have done it enough they dont have to be told what to do they just do it
today they feasted on some raspberries that were ripe

mr hudson then got to fill up the two bird baths with water
a task he enjoys

next its off to the orchard
they pause to wave and say hi to the bees as they zoom down to and out from their hives

we always stop at the pepper tree where they like to ride on a large limb that moves
its like they are riding a horse

then
they usually save the banana grove for last
since
thats where george the monkey lives

as hudson says
i want to see the monkey 

they both know its just a toy george the monkey i placed in the trees for the kids to enjoy
but
still in their kids minds they see it as sort of a real monkey 

ok 
so i shake the banana trees when they arent looking
they turn and look up 
was that a real monkey they said

yes 
i think so

let them enjoy it while they can right

so i have well indoctrinated them with the joys of the garden
hopefully it will last a lifetime

its been a nice reprieve for them during the pandemic

here is hoping their garden journey never ends

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-hope for alzheimers

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-hope for alzheimers: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HOPE FOR ALZHEIMERS this week i had my first infusion of aduhelm (aducanumab) at ucla in the restart of the study i am in th...

alzheimers news-hope for alzheimers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HOPE FOR ALZHEIMERS

this week i had my first infusion of aduhelm (aducanumab) at ucla in the restart of the study i am in

the next day i had an interview and photo shoot about my thoughts on this drug

here below is the link to the online version of the santa barbara news press

here is the link with the interview photos and video
santa barbara news press

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: one down 23+ to go

organicgreendoctor: one down 23+ to go: ONE DOWN 23+ TO GO last friday i wrote this blog titled here is to a new start today we got about half way down to ucla from santa barbara t...

one down 23+ to go

ONE DOWN 23+ TO GO

last friday i wrote this blog titled here is to a new start today
we got about half way down to ucla from santa barbara then i got a phone call
sorry
we have to cancel
it seems that the official clearance based on my amyvid amyloid pet scan had not gotten its final approval
we will have to reschedule
bummer i thought to myself
actually i said something out loud not printable here

i started thinking back to 4 years ago when i arrived for my first ever infusion in biogens aducanumab study when i was going to ut southwestern in dallas
i was real excited that day 
after a long 3 hour drive from austin to dallas fighting through the dallas traffic
i was told almost the same thing
some lab or protocol paperwork had not been done and needed final approval
we might have to reschedule
luckily that time
we waited an hour or so 
then later that day i got my first infusion in this study

fast forward 4 years to last friday
sorry
we will reschedule for tuesday
hopefully we will get the approval by then to start the first infusion of the restart biogen aducanumab now called aduhelm study 

so
on monday i got a call 
we are on for tuesday
im more than ready

so 
yesterday
off we went at 6am
dreading hitting that 405 traffic around 800am 
that last 10 miles can take longer than the first 80 miles

its was a sign
we zoomed right down to ucla the fastest we have made it there
in fact we got there early 
so
we took a walk for 30 minutes

i
saw the neurologist for a visit
got labs
had an ekg which i snuck a glance at yes it was normal
had some memory tests
my wife she was interviewed
i asked if they would memory test her
no
shes not in the study 
then
off to the infusion center

the nurse was the first nurse i saw at ucla for my first ucla infusion 


she easily started an iv and used the blue wrap to hold down the iv
blue is my favorite color
i always feel better when they use blue

then 
the iv as above was hung
its a 1mg/kg dose of aduhelm (aducanumab)
the full dose is 10 mg/kg
the dose will be tapered over time from 1 mg/kg to 3 mg/kg to 6 mg/km then eventually to the 10 mg/km dose that has been shown to be effective
i have had the 10 mg/kg dose before the study was stopped prepandemic
the infusion contains 100 ml of normal saline and is ran in over 1 hour then a 30 minute saline flush is done

so
yesterday 
the iv was run in 
then
after an hour and a half we were back on our way to santa barbara

total time in clinics
5+ hours
total travel time
4 1/2 hours

in the future the visits will be only 2 hours long
every 6 months i will have these longer visits
later this year i will have to have a couple of mris of the brain after i get my 10 mg doses

the reason for the mri is to assess for aria where there can be microbleeds and some swelling that usually resolves
if it shows up the infusions are stopped until they resolve then the infusions are restarted

these aria areas occur as the aduhelm (aducanumab) binds to the amyloid plaques that have accumulated in the brain and removes them
this tearing away of the plaques causes these microbleeds

i will be receiving these infusions about every 28 days for the next 2 years then either the study will be continued or i will get it in the private world if it looks like its working

my amyvid amyloid pet scan in 2 years should show no measurable amyloid in the brain

sadly about half the folks that were in the study at this location arent restarting the study
some because they have progressed too far to continue to qualify for the drug
somes health deteriorated in that 1-2 years this study got delayed

my memory has remained stable in those 2 years i have been waiting
heres hoping it stays that way

yesterday i was interviewed by another local newspaper about my involvement in the study 
i have another photo shoot today for that article
it will probably be similar to the ny times article with a more local flare

then
i was contacted by a popular alzheimers newsletter and podcast for an interview about the same thing
that will happen probably in about a month

i will post links to these when they are available

this all helps to get the word out

yep
we are are stoked

no
i dont feel smarter today

the organicgreendoctor

organicgreendoctor: yes president biden should take a memory test

organicgreendoctor: yes president biden should take a memory test: YES PRESIDENT BIDEN SHOULD TAKE A MEMORY TEST someone texted me once after biden gave a speech then did a press conference whats wrong with ...

yes president biden should take a memory test

YES PRESIDENT BIDEN SHOULD TAKE A MEMORY TEST

someone texted me once after biden gave a speech then did a press conference
whats wrong with him 
does he have dementia

no i have watched him closely doing his speeches and answering questions from reporters
he has a life time problem with stuttering
he was bullied as a child
he has learned techniques that he uses to keep from stuttering
thats why sometimes he is slow to answering questions
it takes a while to get the words out
he pauses instead of stuttering

many of you saw him with the elementary kid that suffered with stuttering

it is normal for someone over 65 years old to have some problem with names and recalling words
that is not abnormal
that is not unusual
that is not dementia

now does he seem to have dementia or memory loss
no i see no evidence that he does
thats from someone who knows a lot about memory loss
personally and professionally

that said
now to the original question
should president biden get memory tested

my answer 
yes he should on an annual basis

if you are over 65 and are on medicare you qualify for an annual wellness exam covered by medicare
as part of that wellness exam
a memory evaluation is required

commonly the provider will do a mini cog exam or similar exam
draw a clock and draw in the time
they also will give you 3 words to remember 
you will be asked to repeat them in about 5 minutes
flunk that test and you probably have memory issues
note missing one word isnt abnormal
its a screening test
if you dont score normal on a minicog or other screening test you need further evaluation

if someone though has early memory issues and does the minicog it may be normal
a more involved test like a moca test or mmse would be better

my initial mincog was normal
my moca was not normal
my last one done at the neurologist was normal at 29

so what should president biden have done
a moca test like trump said he had done
its the one i have done annually at my neurology office and the one i have done regularly for the clinical alzheimers study i am in 

its more sensitive
you can miss 3 items on this memory test and still be normal
i seem to miss one thing every time i do it

my guess is trump didnt get a 30
miy guess president biden will not get a 30
the moca test should be done along with his cholesterol and glucose and other chemistry tests and blood counts and thyroid levels and ekg and cancer preventative tests that one might do on a person his age
and
one who is president 

then report the moca test along with his other tests
then
lets have a national discussion what all that means

so
he should be memory tested each year
just as you who are over 65 should be memory tested each year

the difference is we all get to know his results

so did trump have dementia
no

does president biden have dementia
no

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-beware the delta

organicgreendoctor: covid 19-beware the delta: COVID 19-BEWARE THE DELTA whats the delta its known also as the india variant its what took over india when they thought they were doing so ...

covid 19-beware the delta

COVID 19-BEWARE THE DELTA

whats the delta
its known also as the india variant
its what took over india when they thought they were doing so good with the pandemic
its killed thousands of folks there
its now the dominant strain in great britain
here in the us its around 10% of the cases of covid 19
by the winter it will be the dominant variant
it is much more transmittable
which means it more easily infects folks then the original wild type
what this means for the unvaccinated folks in the us
since the vaccinated folks are protected by the vaccine
is
things you did over the last year will later this summer and fall get you infected
so far here in santa barbara none of the deaths from covid 19 have been vaccinated
they were all unvaccinated
thats whats happening across the us and the world

if you are unvaccinated you are vulnerable

the india or delta variant and other covid 19 infections are seeing an uptick in missouri arkansas mississippi and alabama since they have the highest unvaccinated folks in the us 
plus
they have a higher population of at risk folks

this delta variant is expected to spread across texas across the deep south to the coast of north carolina and south carolina
why
low vaccine rates
poor protective measures like masks distancing etc
larger numbers of high risk populations
its attacking younger folks the hardest and fastest

also they are seeing now and are expected to see more later this summer and fall and winter of all the upper respiratory illnesses like covid 19 flu parainfluenza rsv pneumonias
these attack the young and the oldest the most these non covid 19 infections
luckily most older folks are protected from covid 19 now

an aside here
not getting vaccinated will be decreasing it appears the numbers of republican voters across these southern states if the vaccination rates among this political party persists
a deadly form of voter suppression

biden has a goal of 70% of eligible adults to be vaccinated by july the 4th
right now he is around 67% plus or minus here in our county
hopefully as school approaches and when the 6 mo-12 year olds become eligible that number will get much better
maybe then we can reach that magic herd immunity 
sadly
that herd number will be achieved by infecting and killing hundreds of unvaccinated folks 
and
leaving thousands with permanent long term maybe forever disabilities
eg
i talked to a physician who had covid 19 last year when i think i had mine
he was mainly hit with neurological symptoms that persist even now a year ago

its not too late to get vaccinated
if you are not vaccinated you should wear a mask in high risk situations
you will probably catch the virus from kids and other unvaccinated contacts
these contacts are likely to have minimal or no symptoms

be ready later this summer and fall for the next surge of cases
how big it will be will be determined by 
how many more get vaccinated
how safe unvaccinated people are being
how many get ill from the covid 19

be safe and careful if you are unvaccinated

so what am i doing
i am vaccinated
i have a miniscule chance of catching covid 19
i probably can safely do what i want to do without being careful or wearing a mask
but
i wear a mask in places where its required
its a whiny thing to refuse to wear a mask
its so simple to place it on 
i carry one in my pocket all the time if im unmasked somewhere

if i was unvaccinated i would only wear a n95 mask and do it when outside
no matter what the guidelines are
it is mainly what will keep you from getting infected if you are around folks

thousands of nonbelievers in mask wearing and vaccinations died because of their beliefs
hundreds more will die as the year goes on especially this fall if we dont get more folks immune to this virus
we are doing this to ourselves
while the rest of the world is begging for vaccines
we are being the ugly americans again it seems

i wear a mask when i am around folks who are worried about catching covid 19
i would have no qualms about going to a concert or movie or restaurant or flying now

i will wear a mask if i am in situations this summer and fall and winter where i could catch a respiratory illness such as flu parainfluenza rsv pneumonia etc

so
beware the delta
its looking for someone to infect 

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-here is to a new start today

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-here is to a new start today: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HERE IS TO A NEW START TODAY in this blog i wrote on wednesday about in 2017 the day before and the day after i got my firs...

alzheimers news-here is to a new start today

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HERE IS TO A NEW START TODAY

in this blog i wrote on wednesday about in 2017 the day before and the day after i got my first infusion of biogens aducanumab drug that removes amyloid from the brain
i got 18 months of placebo and 7 months of the real drug aducanumab now called aduhelm
the study was stopped aburptly in 2019
its restart was delayed over a year because of the covid 19 pandemic

the plan is for me to get about 24 monthly infusions of aduhelm (aducanumab)
it will over that time remove all of the measurable on a amyvid amyloid pet scan amyloid that is in the brain 
leaving me with a negative amyvid pet scan in 2 years

the big question is
does it make a difference
will the amyloid all come back if the infusions stop
the answers will be made at the end of this 2 year study and the one that the fda is requiring biogen to do 
that required study could be 5-9 years long
so
we will know for sure how well it works when this is all done

there is controversy on whether this drug should have been approved

as i said in my new york times interview i think it should have been approved
and
so does this researcher dr stephen salloway who treated the first patient with aduhelm (aducanumab) and has treated over 65 patients with this drug for over 5 years
he has the most experience of anyone using this drug
he thinks it should have been approved and notices that it has made a difference in his patients who were treated
he has also noticed a decline since his patients were stopped for awhile during the studies pause

here is the link to an article where he is interviewed about using aduhelm (aducanumab) in these early alzheimers patients

so with all this in mind
we are off to ucla in a couple of hours 

we will zoom along the 101 down to the congested 405 to get there
on this mission today the traffic will not phase us at all

here is our schedule
see the neurologist for recheck on my status to make sure im good to go today
have the first visit memory testing done
have an ekg
have my vital signs taken
have blood drawn for blood count ie cbc blood chemistries urinalysis aducanumab serum level ie whats my aducanumab level to start with and an anti aducanumab antibody level
then
if all is clear
ill stick out my arm and get my iv 
then 
they will hang up a bag of aduhelm (aducanumab) at a low concentration i think this one will be 1 mg
over the next few months that will be gradually increased to 10 mg
why
there is a chance of some microbleeds called aria to happen 
its more likely to happen in folks like me who are apoe 4 apoe 4 positive
this aria usually resolve

i have had 7 of these infusions in the past and didnt have any aria on mri
and i have had plenty of mris
i will have several this year

the infusions in the past usually took 1 hour then you have to wait 30 minutes post infusion to leave

today from start to finish is about 5 hours +-
future infusion visits will take about 3 hours 

the trip down will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours
the trip back on a friday will take 3+ hours

folks its all well worth it

will i notice anything after the infusion 
nope no instant change 

the improvement in cognitive decline seen with this drug aduhelm (aducanumab) is a gradual slow one
ask me if i notice anything in 2 years

another reason i am glad to be able to get on this drug so early is that of all the 3000+- folks who have been put on this drug worldwide in these research studies i am probably the one who is the earliest in the disease process and may be one of those who could get the most benefit

so
if anyone is going to benefit from taking these aduhelm (aducanumab) infusions
it will be me

come on 
lets get going on his new journey
follow me along this journey 

im pumped
im ready

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #91-ill say 1 down and 25 to go

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #91-ill say 1 down and 25 to go: MY STORY REVISITED #91-ILL SAY 1 DOWN AND 25 TO GO it is interesting to read my old blog its like reading a journal someone might write out ...

my story revisited #91-ill say 1 down and 25 to go

MY STORY REVISITED #91-ILL SAY 1 DOWN AND 25 TO GO

it is interesting to read my old blog
its like reading a journal someone might write

out of the blue they called me on my birthday 4 years ago to let me know they could start the infusions of aducanumab now called aduhelm since its fda approved to be used in mci due to alzheimers and early alzheimers 

as i read my thoughts i wondered what i would feel in 2 days as i head to ucla to restart the aducanumab study that i was in 
i am due to get infusion one and then every 29 days after that i will receive another 25 infusions
at the end of these 100 weeks i will have gotten a total of 32 infusions of aduhelm (aducanumab)
plus i got 18 months of placebo

i of course would prefer to have gotten 18 more months of aducanumab

at the end of this study more will be known about how well this really works
then
this study could be extended
or
if it seems the aduhelm may be working i can change to the private world outside the research world and continue the infusions here locally

this gives me and the scientific world time to figure out whether to continue them or not

i will get based on the price thats proposed about $112,000 worth of infusions plus about 6 memory testings multiple neurological evaluations multiple mris of the brain and several amyloid pet scans and lots of labs

the cost to me is $0
well just some of my time and effort

its worth it to be able to get it early before it goes to market
it puts me a few months ahead of getting treated

now 
heres hoping it works to slow the disease down
_________

03-23-2017
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS MY DAY
today is my birthday
i have had a lot of birthdays
the 40th one was memorable
yes i got black stuff and got my yard trashed
i got all those over 40 jokes

then
came number 50
yes i got the aarp stuff in the mail

then
came the number 60
i told my wife she
i just want a quiet one
have people leave me alone
no harassment please
i got enough at age 40 and 50

after my 60th birthday
our life was humming along pretty good
we had no idea what would be coming along
in about 9 months
our lives would change

kabam
there was the diagnosis
that diverted our future to where it is today
an uncertain one

now
i have got a lot of presents over the years
some well most have been good ones
but
yesterday
well
i got the best birthday present ever

my phone rang
hi
this is the alzheimers disease center at ut southwestern
we have an opening tomorrow at our infusion center
do you want to start your aducanumab infusions tomorrow

i didnt even hesitate a second
we have made receiving these infusions our priority
yes
ill be there
early

im ready
to get this show on the road
the sooner the better

for those who dont know
aducanumab is an antibody that attacks the bad beta amyloid
that accumulates in the brain
beta amyloid is thought to be the substance that causes alzheimers disease
if you remove it
the alzheimers disease may be stopped or at least slowed down

i will be one of the first to get this stuff at the alzheimers center

everyone knows the drug humira
its advertised on tv all the time
its used for diseases like rheumatiod arthirits ulcerative colitis
crohns disease and other connective tissue diseases
its given as shots under the skin usually every 2 weeks
its an antibody against a protein that causes the inflammation in
these diseases
its generic name is adalimumab

my drug
aducanumab
my birthday present today
works similarly
but
the protein it attacks is the bad beta amyloid in the brain

this drug aducanumab
is the best hope that we have right now to slow this disease down
this study i am in will determine if it works or not
my reading and my hope is that it will

so
i am ready
to get the best birthday present ever today
it must be a sign
getting it today on my birthday
i believe
i believe
its a good sign


03-24-2917
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-1 DOWN 47 TO GO
i did it yesterday
i got my birthday present
as i wrote the best ever

as i drove the 3 hours trip i did a lot of contemplating
thinking about this 6 year long journey that i have been on
hoping it will last a long long time before its all over

i thought how lucky i am to be this far along
and not have worsening memory loss

during that time this last 6 years
i lost my brother from the final stages of this disease
had my older brother get diagnosed with it

i thought maybe just maybe i am the lucky one
getting an opportunity that they didnt get
to really really slow this down

i am honored to be in this trial
knowing that if its successful as it might be
that it could be a game changer for me
and all my relatives behind me
to have a chance to avoid this awful disease

thats how close we are to finding a treatment
its right now today not off tens of years from now
for me and my family it started yesterday

yesterday the day for the rest of our lives

lets getter on is what i muttered under my breath

i arrived yesterday early of course to the infusion center
its located in this building at the university of texas southwestern
medical center

i walked up to this desk where the busy infusion center is
there sits this guy called santa claus
he is the receptionist
everyone calls him that
since he looks like santa claus
and
plays one at christmas
nice as you would expect santa claus to be
nice first person to interact with

then there was some snafu
we may have to reschedule
some protocol has to followed exactly right
i was the first one starting this study there
some special approval had to done by some god in massachusetts
or somewhere back east at biogen

we may need to reschedule if you dont want to wait
nope i said
im staying until this gets settled
ive waited too long and this may mean too much to me and my family
i just want to get this thing done
getter done i mumbled under my breath

finally after awhile it all got cleared up

back i went
nice nurse
nice receptionist
nice neurologist
it helps to have nice medical personal taking care of you
when you are dealing with the unknown
dealing with a terminal illness

i remembered as i watched them start my infusion and draw my blood
their patients are the ones that dont usually fair well
its their diagnoses

below thats the brown bag stuff hanging on the pole
the stuff thats either fake stuff or the real deal
the real deal for me please

me
i thought as i watched them hook all this up
i want to be the exception for them
i want to be a success result

the only thing i noticed as i got my infusion was
that i tasted salt on my tongue and i got real thirsty
dont know if thats a good sign or not
when it comes to whether or not i am in the placebo group
or not

if i get headaches get confused have some dizziness
then theres a good chance i got the real deal stuff
however not everyone has side effects
i am at higher risk for side effects since i have the apoe 4/apoe 4 gene
this gene put me at an increased risk for getting alzheimers disease

prior to getting the infusion i had a memory test done
for some reason i noticed that i did better on it than usual
it may be because i have had it done so much
i can anticipate the answers before they ask the questions
however
they for this study do a variety of memory tests
most of which i havent done before
which make them more accurate

so
i finished my infusion without any effects
now
i return each month to do the same thing all over again
except
i dont have to wait around the extra hour or so like i did
this time
in and out in an hour or so each time

i decided i can deal with whatever problems pop up
for
in the end it may be all worth it

i scheduled my next infusion date on 4/20
i did that date on purpose
its in case you dont know is marijuana day

why pick that day
well
there is a lot of research that needs to be done on the ingredients
in marijuana
they appear to be useful in the treatment of neurological diseases
like alzheimers
however
the federal government severely limits the research that needs to
be done on these marijuana ingredients

in my contact with folks affected by these diseases
they are using marijuana
obtaining it from states where its legal
using strands that have the potential to help

its sad that good scientific research cant be done
to find things like this that may help

its my small way of protesting our governments restrictions
on this research

but
hopefully if this aducanumab stuff works for me
i wont have to get involved with using any 420 stuff

next
a month of waiting
then
round two

keep following me on this journey
i am hoping the end result will be a good one
if it is
there may be hope for a lot of people
__________
you can bet ill do a lot of daydreaming as i head down to ucla
i probably wont have the same degree of excitement i did on that first infusion 4 years ago
but
there will be excitement nonetheless

another memorable day in the fight to slow down the disease

the organicgreen doctor